GHSA-mqcf-gqvg-rmhm
Fix: authzed/spicedb#3065GHSA-mqcf-gqvg-rmhm is a CWE-285 vulnerability in github.com/authzed/spicedb. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-mqcf-gqvg-rmhm is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
SpiceDB: Caveat structures with nested lists can result in improper cache reuse
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-mqcf-gqvg-rmhm.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/authzed/spicedbReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
Users are impacted if:
- They have a caveat structure with a nested list, e.g.:
caveat shape(x list<any>) {
x == [["a"], "b"]
}
- Their system exercises that caveat with either CheckBulkPermission or else LookupResources running with the
--experimental-lookup-resources-versionflag set tolr3, implying they are using the experimental version 3 ofLookupResources - An attacker can cause the system to craft a request to SpiceDB where either:
- It's a
CheckBulkrequest where there are two check items that are identical except for their combined caveat context, and one of the caveat contexts evaluates positively and the other evaluates negatively - It's a
LookupResourcesrequest where two resources have the same evaluation contents except for their caveat context, and one would evaluate positively and the other would evaluate negatively
- It's a
If all of the above are true, it would be possible for SpiceDB to erroneously return that a user has access to a resource that they do not have access to.
Patches
This problem was addressed in https://github.com/authzed/spicedb/pull/3065 and released in version v1.52.0.
Workarounds
If using v3 of LookupResources, turn the flag off.
If possible, refactor the caveat declaration structure so that it does not operate on a list of lists, but rather any other composite structure.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/authzed/spicedb | ≥ 1.15.0&&< 1.52.0 | 1.52.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/authzed/spicedb. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update github.com/authzed/spicedb to 1.52.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-mqcf-gqvg-rmhm is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-mqcf-gqvg-rmhm is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-mqcf-gqvg-rmhm. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-mqcf-gqvg-rmhm in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-mqcf-gqvg-rmhm across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.